Provide an enhanced clinical and developmental follow-up programme for children who have any of the risk factors listed above

Cerebral palsy algorithm—identification

Looking for signs of cerebral palsy

Provide an enhanced clinical and developmental follow-up programme by a multidisciplinary team for children up to 2 years (corrected for gestational age) who are at increased risk of developing cerebral palsy

Consider using the General Movement Assessment (GMA) during routine neonatal follow-up assessments for children between 0 and 3 months who are at increased risk of developing cerebral palsy

Recognise the following as possible early motor features in the presentation of cerebral palsy:

unusual fidgety movements or other abnormalities of movement, including asymmetry or paucity of movement

abnormal motor development, including late head control, rolling and crawling

feeding difficulties

Refer children who are at increased risk of developing cerebral palsy and who have any of the abnormal features listed above to a child development service for an urgent assessment

Recognise that the most common delayed motor milestones in children with cerebral palsy are:

not sitting by 8 months (corrected for gestational age)

not walking by 18 months (corrected for gestational age)

early asymmetry of hand function (hand preference) before 1 year (corrected for gestational age)

Refer all children with delayed motor milestones to a child development service for further assessment

Refer children who have persistent toe walking to a child development service for further assessment

If there are concerns that a child may have cerebral palsy but a definitive diagnosis cannot be made, discuss this with their parents or carers and explain that an enhanced clinical and developmental follow-up programme will be necessary to try to reach a definite conclusion

Red flags for other neurological disorders

Review a diagnosis of cerebral palsy if clinical signs or the child’s development do not follow the patterns expected for cerebral palsy, taking into account that the functional and neurological manifestations of cerebral palsy change over time

Recognise the following as red flags for neurological disorders other than cerebral palsy, and refer the child or young person to a specialist in paediatric neurology if any of these are observed:

absence of known risk factors

family history of a progressive neurological disorder

loss of already attained cognitive or developmental abilities

development of unexpected focal neurological signs

MRI findings suggestive of a progressive neurological disorder

MRI findings not in keeping with clinical signs of cerebral palsy

Multidisciplinary care

Refer all children with suspected cerebral palsy to a child development service for an urgent multidisciplinary assessment, in order to facilitate early diagnosis and intervention

Recognise that children and young people with cerebral palsy and their parents or carers have a central role in decision-making and care planning

Ensure that the child or young person with cerebral palsy has access to a local integrated core multidisciplinary team that:

is able to meet their individual needs within agreed care pathways

can provide the following expertise, as appropriate, through a local network of care:

paediatric or adult medicine

nursing care

physiotherapy

occupational therapy

speech and language therapy

dietetics

psychology

can enable access to other services within their local or regional network as appropriate, including:

teaching support for preschool and school-age children, including portage (home teaching services for preschool children)

Ensure that routes for accessing specialist teams involved in managing comorbidities associated with cerebral palsy are clearly defined on a regional basis

Recognise that ongoing communication between all levels of service provision in the care of children and young people with cerebral palsy is crucial, particularly involvement of primary care from diagnosis onwards

Medicines optimisation

Movement and posture

For guidance on managing problems with movement and posture in children and young people with cerebral palsy, see the NICE guideline on spasticity in under 19s

Information and support

Ensure that information and support focuses as much on the functional abilities of the child or young person with cerebral palsy as on any functional impairment

Provide clear, timely and up-to-date information to parents or carers on the following topics:

diagnosis

aetiology

prognosis

expected developmental progress

comorbidities

availability of specialist equipment

resources available and access to financial, respite, social care and other support for children and young people and their parents, carers and siblings

educational placement (including specialist preschool and early years settings)

transition

Ensure that clear information about the ‘patient pathway’ is shared with the child or young person and their parents or carers (for example, by providing them with copies of correspondence). Follow the principles in the recommendations about communication, information and shared decision making in the NICE guideline on patient experience in adult NHS services

Provide information to the child or young person with cerebral palsy, and their parents or carers, on an ongoing basis. Adapt the communication methods and information resources to take account of the needs and understanding of the child or young person and their parents or carers. For example, think about using 1 or more of the following:

oral explanations

written information and leaflets

mobile technology, including apps

augmentative and alternative communication systems

Work with the child or young person and their parents or carers to develop and maintain a personal ‘folder’ in their preferred format (electronic or otherwise) containing relevant information that can be shared with their extended family and friends and used in health, social care, educational and transition settings. Information could include:

early history

motor subtype and limb involvement

functional abilities

interventions

medication

comorbidities

preferred methods of communication

any specialist equipment that is used or needed

care plans

emergency contact details

Ensure that the child or young person and their parents or carers are provided with information, by a professional with appropriate expertise, about the following topics relevant to them that is tailored to their individual needs:

menstruation

fertility and contraception

sex and sexuality

parenting

Provide information to the child or young person and their parents or carers, and to all relevant teams around them, about the local and regional services available (for example, sporting clubs, respite care and specialist schools) for children and young people with cerebral palsy, and how to access them

Provide information about local support and advocacy groups to the child or young person and their parents or carers

Information about prognosis

Provide the following information to parents or carers about the prognosis for walking for a child with cerebral palsy:

the more severe the child’s physical, functional or cognitive impairment, the greater the possibility of difficulties with walking

if a child can sit at 2 years of age it is likely, but not certain, that they will be able to walk unaided by age 6

if a child cannot sit but can roll at 2 years of age, there is a possibility that they may be able to walk unaided by age 6

if a child cannot sit or roll at 2 years of age, they are unlikely to be able to walk unaided

Recognise the following in relation to prognosis for speech development in a child with cerebral palsy, and discuss this with parents or carers as appropriate:

around one in two children with cerebral palsy have some difficulty with elements of communication

around one in three children have specific difficulties with speech and language

the more severe the child’s physical, functional or cognitive impairment, the greater the likelihood of difficulties with speech and language

uncontrolled epilepsy may be associated with difficulties with all forms of communication, including speech

a child with bilateral spastic, dyskinetic, or ataxic cerebral palsy is more likely to have difficulties with speech and language than a child with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy

Provide the following information to parents or carers, as appropriate, about prognosis for life expectancy for a child with cerebral palsy:

the more severe the child’s physical, functional or cognitive impairment, the greater the likelihood of reduced life expectancy

there is an association between reduced life expectancy and the need for enteral tube feeding, but this reflects the severity of swallowing difficulties and is not because of the intervention

Using MRI to assess prognosis

Do not rely on MRI alone for predicting prognosis in children with cerebral palsy

Take account of the likely cause of cerebral palsy and the findings from MRI (if performed) when discussing prognosis with the child or young person and their parents or carers

NICE guidance is prepared for the National Health Service in England. All NICE guidance is subject to regular review and may be updated or withdrawn. NICE accepts no responsibility for the use of its content in this product/publication.